Yoon becomes the first sitting president to face arrest warrant

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials on Friday officially filed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, marking the first time in South Korea's constitutional history that an incumbent president has faced such legal action.
The warrant was submitted to the Seoul Western District Court around 5:40 p.m., just 45 days after Yoon's Dec. 3 martial law declaration and two days after his detention. The president is charged with leading an insurrection and abuse of power.
"The arrest warrant for suspect Yoon Suk Yeol has been filed this afternoon with the Seoul Western District Court," the CIO announced in a statement, specifying charges of orchestrating an insurrection and obstructing the execution of a detention warrant.
President Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to unlawfully declare martial law on Dec. 3, aiming to undermine South Korea’s constitutional order. The decree carried orders to suppress the National Assembly and mobilize military forces.
The CIO summoned Yoon three times for questioning as a suspect, but the president refused to comply. Consequently, the agency secured an arrest warrant from the Seoul Western District Court. After two failed attempts to execute the warrant, Yoon was apprehended at his official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, at 10:33 a.m. Wednesday.
During a 10-hour interrogation on the day of his arrest, Yoon exercised his right to remain silent, refusing to answer questions or sign the investigation report. He only stated early in the session that, "The declaration of martial law falls within the constitutional authority of the president, and determining its justification is not a matter for judges or prosecutors."